


Electromagnetic Disorders

by bugsly_twig



Category: Lego Ninjago, The LEGO Ninjago Movie (2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Centered around Jay, Fluff and Angst, For the most part, High School, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, M/M, Multi, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, but it does get better I swear, eventually, poor jay and what I put him through...
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-12
Updated: 2019-05-13
Packaged: 2020-03-02 08:10:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18807184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bugsly_twig/pseuds/bugsly_twig
Summary: A new threat arises in Ninjago High. Can the team keep it together in order to face it?





	1. Chapter 1

If his life were going to be double-faced, like night and day, he would’ve skipped out on it. Scratch that, make it triple faced. 

He always had a knack for these things, always doodling in his journal or tinkering around with scraps from the junkyard. Some of his inventions were actually pretty great, he thought, and possibly even revolutionary. Some helped with transportation, some with new innovative concepts regarding agriculture(he hoped it could solve the world hunger epidemic), and some with… well, people like him. People with “triple-faced lives”; he decided to stick with the term. 

When he was young, he would show off his drawings to his parents. Of course, at this age, his drawings were barely recognizable (scribbles on a piece of paper were never really recognizable) but he believed that they were. 

“Hey, Mom and Dad, look what I drew!” He scrambled from his place on the couch of the RV to his parents who were currently working of another one of their “Junkyard Projects”. Just recently, they had begun to hang lights above the mountains of “invaluable valuables”. Another term Jay had added to his list. 

Back then, the lights covered half of the Junkyard. Jay would stare at them and sleep past his bedtime but something about the black silhouettes of the recyclable trash clashing against the green, white, and red lights made him feel that he should be a part of it too. A part of the bigger picture. 

He regrets that feeling so, so much.

Before he began being properly homeschooled, his parents told him that the world was filled with incredible people who were exactly as amazing as he was. He was told that he’d be able to share his ideas and people would share their own with him. Then, they sent him off to elementary school. 

At first, everything seemed fine. To him, he had already met a few kids and couldn’t wait to know them better. After the morning activities, he and the other students were sent outside for recess. He brought out a notebook and pencil so he could continue working on some of his designs. When he found a nice patch of grass under the shade of a tree, he began to work. He couldn’t work for long. 

One of his new friends sat next to him and inquired about his drawing. 

“What’s that?” 

“A drawing for an invention!” He chirped. He was ready to answer any an all questions regarding what he was drawing. He had envisioned its purpose and pictured it in his mind. He knew exactly what materials he needed for it too. 

“What does it do?”

“It’s going to give me as many milkshakes as I want! The dispenser here can filter through any flavor too! Based on the buttons, I could even combine flavors! I think if I take apart a microwave in my junkyard, I’d be able to get some materials to make it!” As he was explaining, his brain added more and more ideas to his head but the look on his friend’s face said a different story. 

“A junkyard? You go to a junkyard? Isn’t that where trash is?” The kid emphasized the word trash. Trash…? His junkyard was filled with marvelous things that could make anything possible. Trash wasn’t something he’d consider a part of it. 

“It’s where I live so it’s my junkyard,” he explained. The clouds came in unexpectedly. It had covered the sun and the hint of rain was in the air. A breeze tickled his face as he felt pins prickle down his spine. The noise of the playground had vanished as kids became aware of the potential rainfall. 

“You live in a junkyard?” The kid began to laugh, and nearby kids joined his laughter. He scoffed, “Junkyard? Who lives in a junkyard?” Another kid said in between his laughter. “You live with junk? That makes you trash!” The cacophony of laughter simply grew as more and more kids overheard. 

__As the kids continued to laugh, Jay took advantage of the distraction to hide inside a nearby tube slide. That’s when the rain began to fall._ _

__-_ _

__School had grown progressively worse as the kids started to call him all sorts of names. _Trash-boy_ , _Junk_ , _Garbage_ ; sometimes they condensed the former to just _Trash_. For a few months, it stayed that way, for a few months the kids were entertained, but not for long. Come 4th grade, the kids had developed a new sense of entertainment.__

__

______Recess had started once again. The worst that would happen to him were gum wrappers or empty bags of chips thrown at him. He had to cut some of his hair on one occasion where a piece of gum was still stuck to the wrapper. This was daily life for him but whenever he got a high score on his exam, the faces of his parents were enough to keep him going._ _ _ _ _ _

__

______He picked his usual spot inside the tube slide and begun to sketch. Clouds ruled the skies once again so being inside the tube would prevent his notes from potentially getting wet. One could never be too sure about the weather. Maybe he could build something that predicted the weather? Barometers and Hygrometers already existed but they had none in the RV. He began to sketch something that could do the job of all weather instruments._ _ _ _ _ _

__

______The kids usually spent time playing some kind of sport on the field so he was convinced he wouldn’t be bothered. A harsh knock on the top of the tube overhead proved otherwise._ _ _ _ _ _

__

______“Hey, Trash,” The hairs on Jay’s neck spiked at the calling of his nickname._ _ _ _ _ _

__

______“What are doing in the slide? You’re in our way,” Without hesitation, he closed his notepad and hopped out of the slide. If he were to count, this would be one of the worst decisions of his life._ _ _ _ _ _

__

______When he got out, a crew of boys begun to push him around._ _ _ _ _ _

__

______“Hey! Stop that!” Jay shouted out. The kid who told him to get out grabbed his notebook and begun to read out loud._ _ _ _ _ _

__

______“Turbo Motor-Vehicle, Weather Forecaster, Magnetic Doo...Dual Trans..foo..fyo..fusion? Now you’re making up names? Couldn’t get enough of your own garbage, Trash-boy?” The kid grabbed a page and tore it from the notepad.___ _ _ _

__

________“They a-aren’t trash!” Jay cried out, he was surrounded by the gang. He tried to push his way out of the circle and reach his book. This act of defiance hadn’t gone well with the ringleader. He dangled the rest of his notepad over his head._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__

________“What was that?” He swung his notes back and forth; tempting the smaller boy to try and grab it. Jay reached desperately for his notes. This couldn’t be happening, he was safe in the tube, he was safe from the ridicule, why now?_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__

________“They aren’t-” He started to say when the kid’s knuckles ruthlessly connected with Jay’s face. He fell to the ground, in shock. His body was trembling, what could have caused them to pick a fight with him? His breath picked up as the air was knocked out of him._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__

________“I couldn’t hear you there,” The kid mocked the significantly shorter individual. Jay got up and tried again. His notes were his comfort zone, he couldn’t have that taken away from him. Tears rimmed his eyes, near overflowing.___ _ _ _ _ _

__

__________“They aren’t tra-” Another blow came from behind this time. The other kids were, to his misfortune, catching onto what their leader had planned._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__

__________“I can’t hear you. Speak louder!” At this point, Jay couldn’t raise his arms. The attacks were getting harder to ignore. The... the pain was getting harder to ignore._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__

__________“Th-they-” The ripping of paper drowned out all the sounds around him. The sounds of fists connecting to his body as well as his own shouts disappeared. He stood there, paralyzed, allowing his body to continuously get bruised. The tears streamed down his face and fell to the ground alongside the scattered remains of his creations. His knees followed suit as he tried to collect the pieces._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__

__________The rain began to fall._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__

__________The kids went from punching to kicks._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__

__________“Lost your voice? Try saying that again.” The eyes of his tormentors seared through him. His entire body shook as he struggled to stand up._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__

__________“Th-th-they aren’t-Ngh. Th-th-th-they…” Jay wheezed out in between sobs. A kick behind his knee caused him to tumble to the ground once more. Why, why me? His thoughts were on repeat, why, why, why? Lightning suddenly illuminated the area. An agonizing feeling mixed with the subtle taste of iron arose his throat._____ _ _ _ _ _

__

______________With a cough, he spat out a few droplets of blood. The bell rung, causing the leader to call off his group, satisfied with what they’ve accomplished._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__

______________Most of Jay’s pages were dripping with mud but he gathered them together and went back to the tube. Inside, he wiped his tears with his notes. The rapid connection of paper to skin caused a few paper cuts but they felt like nothing compared to the rest of his body. The pain reminded him of the searing pain emanating throughout his entire body. He embraced his knees and hid his face within them. The act of doing so caused enough strain but the position soothed him in a way. He felt protected within the tube during the thunderstorm. He wanted nothing more than to stay there forever, concealed from the world. It was clear that his ideas weren’t wanted, weren’t needed._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__

______________He ripped the rest of the pages. With each rip, it felt as he was getting hit all over again. After 5 minutes of this, he buried the pages underneath some mud. When he got home that night, after making sure none of the bruises could be seen by his parents, he went to his room, sat in the same position as he did in the tube and screamed._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__

______________He wouldn’t set foot outside the junkyard, not for a long time._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__


	2. A Sour Patch

“Haha! You couldn’t beat my high score even if your life depended on it!”

“Kai, we all know you don’t know even know how to _jump_.”

“Then how come you guys still haven’t beaten my score?” The fire in his eyes regarded any further discussion futile. However, Cole accepted this challenge.

While Kai and Cole were in heated debate, Zane and Nya were thinking of adding new components to their mechs.

“How about massaging seats?” Nya suggested. It took a while for Zane to calculate the benefits but the subtle beeps similar to one of a computer notified success.

“Being cramped in the mechs for extended periods of time restrain our fighting capabilities so relaxing our muscles with the seats would give us heightened focus for hand to hand combat. However, we barely need to do so since our mech’s handle all the fighting.”

“Better safe than sorry?” It was clear Nya really wanted massaging seats. Zane gave in.

“Perhaps… if we add an extra seat with massaging capabilities, Sensei Wu would allow it since he could travel alongside us in comfort. Despite his claims, his muscles aren’t what they used to be. He is bound to find this more than acceptable.” Zane stated. Nya practically jumped with joy but remembered her cool attitude and settled for a... “Sounds like a plan.” Zane pulled out some blueprints so they could start designing.

Lloyd walked in the cafeteria and noticed the gap between his friends and the rest of the students. Five tables divided them to be exact but that didn’t matter. This became normal for the group as long as no one messed with them. Usually, he’d feel out of place even inside his own skin but today seemed better than the others.

Kai was the first to notice Lloyd and broke his argument (which he was totally winning) with Cole. The dark haired teen simply placed on his headphones and decided on ignoring how Kai just ended their debate (in which _he_ was totally about to win) with some jazz.

“Hey, buddy! How was class? No one picked any trouble with you, right? If so I’ll burn them to the ground with my amazing argument skills,” Kai said. Cole rolled his eyes behind him, turned away, and rested his arm on the table.

“Class was fine...fine and no one should have to deal with arguing with you,” Lloyd snickered as Kai grew irritated.

“Hey! People gain _enlightenment_ after talking to me!” Despite having his music at an ear-splitting volume, Cole couldn’t help but laugh at the comment.

Zane leaned closer to the younger teen.

“From my observations, you seem to be in a good mood today!” He noted.

Lloyd picked at Kai’s lunch tray for a french fry. Things were actually going well for him today.

“Seems like it. Do we have…” Lloyd’s voice was hushed to a whisper. “...any training today?”

“Hmm, we do have a message from Sensei Wu but he wishes for all members of the team to be present in order to hear it.” Zane shot a glance at every member at the table. They all looked at one another the same way before Lloyd stood up.

“Fine, I’ll go get Jay.” He groaned.

One thing he never understood was why Jay needed someone to walk with him everywhere he went. Sure, he worried about things but aside from the daily post-it note on the back courtesy of the cheerleader squad, nothing worse had ever happened to him. Worse only happened to Lloyd for all he knew. Not to misunderstand, Lloyd enjoyed Jay's company but sometimes he worried for the guy. Even if Jay was older, Lloyd still felt compelled to ask him if something was wrong. Everyone was close with one another so being open was a way to relieve the stress and horrors of high school.

The bell rang and students flowed out of classes. Why Jay took an extra class of math was beyond him. After the wave of students raced in the hallways, Jay peeked out of the doorway to make sure it was vacant. When he saw the locks of gold paired with its signature green and black hoodie, Jay leaped out.

“Hi, Lloyd! So, h-how were your classes?” Then, there was his stutter. It wasn’t noticeable but it was there. Lloyd wasn’t the closest to Jay but it was enough to worry and enough for Jay to feel as safe as he needed to in order to travel through the hallway.

“They were fine, how about that math?” He asked. He swore on his green ninja gi that he saw Jay’s hands twitch, even if it was slight.

“All good things, all good things. We… were going over trigonometry before midterms. It’s been a while since we practiced them and whatever.” He clutched at his notebooks.

“As always, you’ll probably get the highest score,” Lloyd said. Jay, alongside Zane, had a record of getting the highest scores on exams. Most of Zane’s taunts came from his computer like intelligence.

“Well…” Jay looked at his feet. “There’s this new kid who’s been doing well so I wouldn’t be surprised if he does better than me.”

“New kid? What’s his name?” Lloyd asked. If this school was gaining another person to pester the group, he might as well know their name.

“I couldn’t quite catch it. I was spacing out again, I guess.” Usually, Jay spacing out meant one of two things. One, they were going to get a new invention soon. Two, well, two was already talked about and never to be brought up again.

When Nya had made it clear that she wasn’t romantically interested in Jay, it broke his heart. He respected her more than anyone so he stopped pining for her. He stopped many things from that point forward. Even though he tried to be discreet about the change, everyone noticed. Unless it interfered with training, Sensei never mentioned it to him so it wasn’t discussed.

If Sensei Wu couldn’t do it, how could they?

When they finally reached the cafeteria, Jay instinctively went from Lloyd’s side to slightly behind him. Another one of Jay’s habits before the Nya incident. Being over a year ago, the awkwardness between them had long disappeared. They had grown closer to one another during this time and maybe, just maybe, if Jay asked Nya if she changed her mind about them being together, she’d say yes.

Jay, however, had _also_ developed this tendency to cast aside his emotions. At least it was better than when he was making those self-deprecating “jokes” during his freshman year.

As they approached their table, Cole was the first to react this time, by putting away his headphones and turning on his beatbox. Lloyd had also realized the little things Cole did whenever Jay was around. They were best friends after all. Even if one was definitely way taller than the other, they seemed more comfortable when they were together. Maybe he could talk to him about Jay? No, it’d be an invasion of their privacy but even if he wasn’t the “leader” of the group, he still wanted to make sure he was alright. Lloyd made a mental note to ask later.

-

“Nice! We’re all here now!” Kai burst out loud.

After Lloyd had left to get Jay, the team went on doing what they were doing as if nothing had stopped their activities before Jay was mentioned. It happened to all of them, whenever they had to help each other with their problems. Kai had his anger outbursts, Nya with her borderline perfectionist views on everything, Zane with finding out he wasn’t human at all, and Cole with his dad issues. If their problems were slightly mentioned, Sensei Wu has been there to set their minds in a different direction.

“All here? Why? What’s up?” Jay asked as he placed his books on the table.

“Sensei Wu left a message for us!” Kai tossed a French fry at the brunette in the blue flannel.

Catching it for Jay, Cole placed the fry in his own mouth. “Don’t play with your food, Tomato-face.”

After that playful insult, Kai’s face did, in fact, resemble a tomato.

Before things could escalate(with Kai things escalated quickly) Zane reminded them of Sensei Wu’s message. Nya decided to help out by tapping her pencil on Kai’s head which seemed to do the trick.

“Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow! What was that for?” He whined as he rubbed his head.

“Now that we have no more distractions, we should listen to the message.” As Zane was about to play the audio, Jay interrupted.

“U-uh, shouldn’t we choose a better place to hear it? A cafeteria filled with kids doesn't seem...ideal.” The team nodded at Jay’s concern and they decided to hear it after school on the roof.

A few minutes more of the contentious debate between Cole and Kai (Lloyd arbitrated) and the discussion regarding the additions to the mechs between Zane and Nya (now with Jay) later, the sound of the school bell broke out for their next class.

During the first week of classes, Jay was overjoyed when he found out he had English ll with Zane.

As they walked to class, they had a talk similar to the one he had with Lloyd.

“Hmm, my processor doesn’t detect any new student implemented into the school database. Then again the internet had been down these past few days. Does he worry you?” Jay looked up at Zane. He always got to the point, the source, of the conversation. Jay seldom spoke about any of the students mainly because he didn’t talk to them any more than they talk with him. Zane picked up on how the smaller teen only spoke about those who may pose a threat. His ability to notice was better than the other ninja, he tested it himself.

“Not r-really, no. He’s just-“ As they walked inside the classroom, they noticed the new kid sat in the seat behind Jay’s. Immediately, his heart rate picked up but Zane, somehow, picked it up even faster and placed his hand on Jay’s shoulder.

_Calm._

Something Jay and Zane figured out is if one of them sent a particular electric signal to the other, they could communicate without talking. However, it only seemed to work with one word messages.

Jay’s shoulders relaxed as Zane gave him a reassuring nod.

Jay didn’t quite understand it himself but there was something about the new guy that made him apprehensive.

Zane took his seat to the left of Jay and near the back room window.

Jay sat down and stared at the notes on his desk.

_Dork, Loser, Nerd, Invent a way out of this School, Doofus._

It was… just the usual. Zane also had similar notes on his desk. He had the sense to collect them for recycling. “A waste of resources.” He called it.

A tap on his back nearly made him leap out of his chair but the voice that followed it kept him seated.

“Your notebook is open on the floor. Sorry for looking but you’ve got some pretty cool ideas.”

Um. Was he hearing correctly? This had to be a prank. Yea. That had to be it. The student body had already told the new kid what was up and this was all part of their plan. Even so, he had to pick it up.

He turned around.

The kid’s green eyes searched every inch of his own. The green streak in his ebony hair completed the look as he also wore a black buttoned up t-shirt with green undersleeves.

Jay felt a warm breeze as he lowered his guard.

“Erm, uh, th-thank you,” He picked up his notebook as the kid began to speak once again.

“I may not be an expert but maybe if you use an alternating current engine, it could save you some energy.”

As Jay was about to respond in awe, the teacher began the lesson. Jay swore he felt the temperature lower a bit but as class continued, he decided it was all in his head.

-

Once again, after class, Jay followed his routine by staying behind and waiting for everyone to file out. The new kid had been one of the first out of the classroom, Jay would ask for his name later. He wondered if the kid would join any of the clubs he was in. Jay finished packing up his things and turned towards Zane. His eyes seemed to pin Jay down where he stood. Jay’s own blue orbs flashed a look of worry which led Zane to soften his own.

“I… We shouldn’t trust him,” Zane said.

“What? Why?” Jay’s eyes made it hard for Zane to follow up.

“I understand that it’s been a while since anyone has spoken to us with such a genuine interest but we cannot let our guard down,” As Zane continued talking, Jay’s face grew more and more tired.

“Can’t we just _trust_ someone for once?” Jay said; exhausted. Zane concluded that Jay had said it for himself more than anything. He felt terrible for bringing up these points to Jay but they were for his own good, he was sure.

“We… should head to the roof. The group should be waiting for us. We wouldn’t want them waiting too long, would we?” Zane didn’t want to get Jay too worked up. Going too far would make him unfocused for what their Sensei had to say.

Instead of gravitating to Zane’s side, Jay strayed a few feet away. If it weren’t so hot, the decrease in temperature would’ve gone unnoticed but for Jay, it felt like Earth’s gravitational pull increased tenfold (no reference to the master of gravity).

The travel to the roof felt like hours due to the tension but a comfortable breeze soothed Jay’s heart while it basically did the opposite to Zane. If Jay stumbled close enough, he’d swear it felt like the dead of winter. He desperately wanted to signal Zane to _relax_ but whenever he raised his arm, another breeze wafted his hand away.

“ _Lloyd!_ Hand over your sour patches!” Kai whined.

“I bought them so they’re mine! Get your own.” Lloyd responded.

The green leader looked towards the roof door. As expected, Zane and Jay walked out but something seemed odd. Usually Jay would be clinging by his side but instead, he drifted behind. Of course, not being the only one who noticed this, each ninja gave them their undivided attention.

The closer Zane got to the group, the more Lloyd felt the cool air around him. If Zane wanted to say something, he would have already said it. Especially Jay. One little thing out of place and he was usually freaking out a storm. He looked at Cole who never took one eye off the unusually composed blue ninja.

“Let’s get this over with, I’m basically _starving_ over here!” Kai sure knew the _perfect_ time to voice his problems.

“Very well.” Zane stuck out his arm as the group gathered around him. Against the heat of summer, the chill atmosphere was a refresher; the wind around them also felt as if it carried away the stresses of school. The message began to play.

“ _Dear students, I sense a disturbance in Ninjago City_ ,” Gasps steadily increased throughout the group.

“Garmadon!” Kai inferred.

“ _I assure you, it isn’t Garmadon, Kai_ ,” The prerecorded message chimed. A sigh of frustration left Kai’s chest.

“ _The weather is due for an unexpected change. A change for the worse. As you’re listening to this message, I have already entered into a deep meditative state in order to gain a broader knowledge on the subject. I fear that the next few weeks would prove to be the most challenging you have ever faced. Beware of anything new or odd. When I complete my meditation, I’ll send another message to Zane_ ,”

“Well, what are we going to do in the meantime? Just wait for this threat to attack the city?” Kai stated.

“ _In the meanwhile, you are to patrol the city and keep an eye out for any suspicious activity. I will have answers soon, ninja. Stay strong and stay together._ ” A beep from Zane’s arm indicated the message was complete.

“A new threat?” Nya restated.

“We’ve only ever faced Garmadon…” Lloyd said.

“I’m not too worried, we’ve beaten him tons of times,” Kai stated while punching his fists together in determination. “I’ve been waiting for a good fight.”

It was happening again. Jay’s blood raced and if he thought it was cold, it sure was freezing now. As lists upon lists of concerns popped in his head, he never voiced them aloud. Something grabbed at his tongue and he didn’t fight against it.

After they decided Nya and Zane would patrol morning shift, Kai would patrol for the first half of their cafeteria period, and Cole and Jay would cover for the night, they went home to the sounds of Kai whining for food. To Jay’s disdain, his home was on the way to Zane’s house.

Zane looked at Jay straight in the eyes. Jay never noticed the sharp conviction and resolve inside them before. “Jay. Maybe we should try another experiment,” As Jay looked for any clues as to what was going on in Zane’s face, he realized it was useless cause Zane was a robot and it was really hard to try and tell what he meant sometimes.

“What do you mean?” Jay clutched at his sides.

“Let’s head to your place, I’ll explain there.”


	3. Vanilla

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The calm before the storm.
> 
> "~" in between paragraphs = passage of time.
> 
> "..." in between paragraphs = flashback/memory

Jay had a unique type of trust placed in his friends. Sure it may come off as clingy at times (all the time) but they didn’t seem to mind it. He thought they were all inspiring and they each gave him a new sense of confidence.

After being homeschooled for so long, he began to stick himself to people like glue because he didn’t want to get lost in the city. Sure enough, his plan worked until he met Zane and Cole.

It was the three of them for a while before Nya and Kai came along. The three of them had developed a bond unlike any other by spending so much time together. After school, they’d just hang out in the dojo until Sensei kicked them out but those were the best days of Jay’s life.

... 

“Could you please hand me the screwdriver?” Zane asked. 

“Sure,” Jay handed him the tool and watched him work. He’d typically be itching to start one of his own projects but was invested in Zane’s work for the time being.

“It looks like it’ll blow up at any second,” Cole stated. It’s a rare thing to see Cole without his music. An even rarer thing to hear him comment on what anyone was doing. Zane looked up from his work.

“I assure you, I think you’ll find this to your liking.” Zane winked.

He… winked? Wait, maybe Jay was reading into this too much. He was currently delusional about these sorts of things considering he hasn’t had many interactions with kids his age. Maybe this was normal? His dad winked all the time while making jokes, this was similar, right?

Cole walked around the table, trying to figure out what Zane was making.

“Come on, cut me some slack, you know I’m not good at this.” He scratched his head. Cole always seemed so sure about himself. This display of honest confusion left Jay thinking it was a nice contrast against his “lone wolf” aesthetic. 

His burly hair made his eyes look more captivating than it should. The light reflected in his eyes and Jay could feel himself melting at the sight. Moments where their hands connected were in sparring sessions; fleeting moments that lasted mere seconds but he knew he would fall apart if they ever brushed against each other. Perhaps during a time where there was no training. Perhaps some time alone, where he could- this was getting out of hand. Jay masked his burning cheeks by pulling his signature orange scarf over his face. He shifted his thoughts towards Zane.

“Patience is a virtue,” Zane said as he continued to place pieces together.

Jay had never seen someone with such blonde hair (granted his situation). It couldn’t even be considered blonde since it looked more white than anything. It reminded him of snow; at times it looked solid but he bet if he could feel his hair, it’d be soft and comforting. He knew if he touched it, he’d never want to stop. His soft warm hands against Zane’s sturdy own pair. Holding one another, being- He really had to stop with this. His heart rate pulsed a fraction faster but it was enough to gain Zane’s attention. Before the white ninja could comment, Jay took the conversation in his own hands.

“If you tell me what you’re making, I could, maybe, help out with it?” Jay hoped that it would distract Zane long enough so he could pull himself together.

“While that would be appreciated, I’m almost near completion. It is 86.773% completed to be exact. However, since Cole seems to be a bit impatient,” Zane nodded towards a Cole who was practically whining with his eyes alone. “Perhaps, you could run an errand for me.” Zane quickly scribbled on a piece of paper and handed it to Jay split seconds before Cole’s hand tried to swipe and see what it was.

“Dang it, you two are _so_ not fair.” Cole sighed and in defeat, he sunk into the couch.

“My apologies, Cole, but it’ll be worth it. Jay, you should go before he changes his mind and chases after you.” He smirked. Jay, not liking the idea of being chased, left the dojo and into the city. 

~  

As it turns out, Zane was making a turntable for Cole. Jay had been tasked to get discs of _80’s-90’s rock_ and _Eurodance_ (Zane had signed it as ~ _Cole’s Favorites)_.

When Cole (finally) got said turntables, his smile literally _dazzled._ So much so that the white and blue ninja had to shield themselves from his earthly glow. Jay swore to himself that he’d do anything to maintain that smile for as long as possible.

He decided to make a note of such instances.

 

  1. Music he likes
  2. His pet Rocky
  3. Desserts



 

“He particularly likes french vanilla cake with strawberries. Also, he smiles around _us_ from what I’ve observed.” Zane duly noted. Jay’s shoulder’s stiffened, how did he not notice him? He was trained in a similar fashion so tracing movement was like breathing. Then again, Zane was more in tune with himself than what they gave him credit for. Jay frantically placed the notepad to his chest to cover up his notes even if Zane had already seen them all. Jay’s face was utterly swept pink as he struggled to respond.

“Ohmigosh, _Z-Zane!”_ Jay dug his face into his hands.

“Regarding your notes, by the way, I apologize for peeking, but I would consider it agreeable if we _both_ strive to maintain his smile even if minimal effort is required. That is not to say we won’t go the extra mile.” After several weeks since seeing it, Zane winked _again._ This time it was for _him._ Then again, he was talking about Cole but Jay sure hoped a part of that wink was for him too.

...

The cold had long subsided as Zane led Jay near some rock formations far from his junkyard. Although he could make out the dim lights if he squinted, he’d never gone out this far before; not even to test out some of his machines. The dim reflection of the setting sun hit the edges of the rocks and at his hands. The lukewarm ambience formed a bittersweet knot in his stomach. He supposed he’d add this moment to the list of times where his hands got unbelievably clammy. However, waiting for that hundred twenty-three page to load wasn’t possible so far out in the desert.  It also wasn’t possible when the atmosphere between the two ninja was so tense.

Zane slowed his pace until he eventually stopped and turned to face Jay. He lifted up his arms, palms face up, and let the coolness of dusk envelop them. He closed those eyes of his which reflected the early stars of the night. A few moments passed as he exhaled a long breath.

“Jay,” Zane’s palms were now coated in a thin layer of frost; begging for warmth. “Activate the electrolytes on your hands.” He ordered. 

Jay complied with hesitance. He lowered his gaze at his now shaking hands. He knew he didn’t have the control Zane had but would have to try. Sensei Wu had said that visualization was a strong asset.

He began to picture the easiest thing that came to mind: Carbonated drinks, Gatorade, and electric based creatures from cute cartoons he admittedly watches to this day. He recalled the lesson on manifestation when Kai burned Sensei’s afternoon tea. He remembered the feeling of adrenaline when the crew first vanished from class in order to save the city.

The polar energies emanating from his hands pushed the thoughts further. He used to constantly get shocked from articles of clothing, light switches, and from his inventions. His first thunderstorm was spent hidden in a corner of his room away from all windows and open doors. Other storms had him hiding in the same fashion but with the addition of curling himself into a ball after his childhood incident. The feeling in his chest was unlike any other. His heart _strained_ , his eyes _blurred_ , and his pulse _quickened_ as he felt tiny sparks dance inside his skin.

 _Say that again._  

_Lost your voice?_

_Speak louder!_

He grasped for a breath but couldn’t find the air. A thick swallow left words unspoken in his throat. He wanted the pain to stop; he wanted them all to go away. He closed his eyes and felt his knees give in. Once again, he couldn’t fight them off, he couldn't do _anything_ to get to safety. Although there weren’t any walls for miles, he felt himself being caved in. He felt the nonexistent walls compress around him as he realized he had been pushed inside by the sound of a locker door slamming shut.

He tried to breathe, tried to even out the lack of oxygen he was getting, but to no avail. His hands shivered when he lifted each finger to recite something, _anything_ he knew that could help.

_2 ⅔ cup of flour …_

_Tick… tick… tick…_

_2 ½ teaspoon of baking powder …_

_The sounds of countless rips tore the deepest sections of his mind._

_1 teaspoon of salt…_

_His hands uselessly trying to open a locker from the inside._

_1 ¾ ounce of vanilla pudding …_

_A croak stuck in his throat, never seeing the light of day._

_1 cup vanilla coffee creamer…_

_He had stopped counting the times this happened to him._

_½ cup whole milk…_  

_He really was weak, wasn’t he?_

_2 tablespoon vegetable oil…_

_Too many fears with too little remedies._

_2 teaspoon vanilla extract..._

_Zane._ Zane could see him right now as what he truly was: vulnerable, pathetic, never knowing when to shut up, and never knowing when to speak. He bet Zane was looking at him with disgust. His gorgeous pale blue eyes contorting with disdain as he looked down upon what a useless case Jay was. How he’d hate to see how others viewed him. How he’d hate for Zane to view him how Jay always _knew_ he viewed him. 

He caved in on himself and clutched his sides. Zane was one of the last people he wanted to see him like this.

Senses now on overdrive, he heard the shuffling of feet against the dry sediment underneath. His ears picked up the static yet silent ambience the cut through the crisp air. His goosebumps reacted to the sun finally setting beneath the horizon, thus stripping him from the heat he was so desperately holding on to.

That’s when he realized someone was holding onto _him._

“Jay? Jay! I’m here, it’s okay, I’m here. Everything’s going to be alright, it’s just us, no one’s going to hurt you, I promise. I’m here with you, I’ll always be here,” Soft circled rubbed into his back has brought Jay back to his senses. A repeated _Tranquility_ and _Peace_ was coursing through his veins. He took deep breaths and focused on the gentle drumming of fingers against his back, neck, and shoulders. Releasing the grip on his arms, he returned the embrace to the nindroid and hugged him closer. 

_Ease. Serenity. Together._

There was nothing in the desert that could hurt them; their powers and countless hours training protected them from dangers that outlist a hundred twenty-three pages. The stars above lit the scene; notifying the life below that everything was alright. 

What outweighed everything else was that he and Zane were together.

The nindroid made a slow release of their tangled arms and held onto Jay’s hands.

“I… I apologize for my demeanor in class today. I may have formed a miscalculation but that doesn’t mean I trust our new classmate. I’m just… worried about you, Jay. We all are worried for you, for each other. We don’t want anything happening to our best inventor _and_ quality chef, now do we?” He ended with a light chuckle. Jay felt his face heat up with embarrassment.

“ _Oh no,_ don’t tell me you actually _heard_ all of that,” Jay groaned.

“Well, I _was_ connected to you for the duration of your, for lack of a better term, _short circuit_ , and the recipe for that french vanilla cake was heard loud and clear, my friend,” Zane stated. Despite Jay’s groan at the double entendre, did this mean Zane was thinking of baking together? Even if that were so, he did call Jay ‘friend’ shortly thereafter. Why did he feel so glum about it? Zane’s sturdy hands interlocked with Jay’s shorter and stubbier pair. It seemed surreal that Zane had not only been there for him but has helped him out of his downward spiral as well. He felt like melting into the touch, come what may. For Zane, anything could become a reality. “Considering your tendencies have returned, would I be so off the mark to consider resuming the experiment?”

“Tendencies? What tendencies?”

“Incessant whining, flushed pigmentation, staring into the distance, need I continue?” Staring off at the distance? He was pretty sure he was maintaining eye contact the entire time- unless… He felt his skin redden even more than before. His so-called ‘flushed pigmentation’ was a granted given.

“Very funny, wise guy, but yes. I’m ready. As a matter of fact, I was _born_ ready.” 

“Says Mr. _Vanilla Pudding._ ” He smirked. Oh god, his smirk. He could stare at it all night if he wasn’t called out about it mere seconds ago.

“So,” Why was it so hard to stop thinking of him? Right, Zane was literally right in front of him. “What’s this experiment all about exactly?”

“According to past collected data, whenever our elements connect, it strengthens our bond. Mere hours ago, we were only able to transmit one word emotions to one another but under certain circumstances, we can now say multiple one-word sentiments. To have our previous experience as an example, I told you the words tranquility and peace which were followed by ease, serenity, and together. Granted, the final three were said after a gap between peace and ease but this leads me to believe that soon enough, we should be able to properly communicate as the word count increases.”

“So, by conducting these experiments,” Jay inferred. “We’ll be telepathic! Albeit, only with each other.”

“For now, if we succeed and can efficiently transfer thoughts, we could share this with the rest of our teammates for an optimum battle strategy. The only downside is how the ability only seems to work if we’re in contact with the other person.” 

“Maybe if we test it more, we can speak without shoulder touches?”

“Jay, I believe I said I apologized for my previous actions during school. I didn’t miss anything, did I?” 

He couldn’t help but give out a small giggle. “Haha, no Zane, you didn’t miss a thing. You’re alright. Now, you wanted me to focus energy on my hands, right?”

“Right.”

Small flickers of light shone underneath Zane’s palms. Jay’s lightning was controlled and remained intact; following his every will. He’d half expected his hands to be freezing while touching Zane but felt the same comfort that met his shoulders with relaxing circles.

“I think it’s safe for me to say we have all mastered our elements to the point of controlling whether it can hurt or protect those around us. Although, I keep wondering why my fingers burned when I tried to pick up Kai’s gaming controller the other day.”

“So _that’s_ why no one can beat his high score!”

“I guessed as much. Make sure not to let anyone know, Kai should have this victory.” 

“... Sure, but for now, we should enjoy our discovery.”

They stayed like that, for a few more moments, getting closer together and being alongside the elemental aura of the other. During practice, this was normal; they had to be aware of everyone’s position by their powers. Now, it was so much more than just training. Being together, without the trivial complications of anything else going on in their lives, was something Jay wouldn't trade for anything in the world. During that embrace, they weren’t using telepathy, didn't  _need_ to use telepathy, in order to understand the unsaid paragraphs that were shared between them underneath the stars.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anyone interested, here's the recipe I referenced for the French Vanilla Cake!  
> https://iscreamforbuttercream.com/moist-french-vanilla-cake-recipe-from-scratch/
> 
> If anyone tries it, let me know how it goes! Finals are coming up for me so more chapters will come out in a few weeks! Thank you for your patience.


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